salmaland.com » BK:BayRidge/SunsetPark http://salmaland.com Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:38:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Brooklyn/Bay Ridge: Karam http://salmaland.com/2009/09/brooklynbay-ridge-kara/ http://salmaland.com/2009/09/brooklynbay-ridge-kara/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:37:04 +0000 http://salmaland.com/wp/?p=674 Pic courtesy of LeftInBayRidgeA Middle Eastern-food craving in Brooklyn will most likely lead you to Tanoreen—an unpretentious, family-owned restaurant that's been getting an increasing amount of buzz over the past few years. And Tanoreen is admittedly pretty solid, even if a Middle East transplant might take issue with the sometimes timidly flavored dishes. But Bay Ridge's tinier, lowlier Karam is [...]]]> Pic courtesy of LeftInBayRidge

Pic courtesy of LeftInBayRidge

A Middle Eastern-food craving in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, will most likely lead you to Tanoreen—an unpretentious, family-owned restaurant that’s been getting an increasing amount of buzz over the past few years. And Tanoreen is admittedly pretty solid, even if a Middle East transplant might take issue with the sometimes timidly flavored dishes. But Bay Ridge’s tinier, lowlier Karam is bolder and arguably better on the whole, if you’re willing to contend with a cramped room where you can’t really sit (there are just a few stools, and the whole operation is designed mainly for takeout). The Lebanese food here—especially the outrageously juicy chicken shawarma rolled up in fresh hot pita, or the sujok (spicy lamb or beef sausage), or the lentil-rice-onion moujadara stew, or the classic parsley-and-lemon-jammed tabbouleh, or the rotissserie chicken with creamy toum (garlic sauce)—is as authentic as it gets, and hard to beat anywhere in the city. The place doesn’t look like much, but foodwise it’s most definitely not just your basic falafel-and-hummus stand. Karam bears repeat schleps out to Bay Ridge, and a little courage to taste your way through the entire repertoire—including some of the down-home and hard-to-find dishes, like the traditional preparation of lemon-spiked, linguini-like brains (cow brains, to be exact).

Karam: 8519 Fourth Ave. between 85th and 86th Sts., Bay Ridge; (718) 745-5227. Tanoreen: 7523 Third Ave., at 76th St., Bay Ridge; (718) 748-5600

Prices/Features: CHP, VGT  (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)

]]> http://salmaland.com/2009/09/brooklynbay-ridge-kara/feed/ 0 Brooklyn/Sunset Park: Tacos Matamoros http://salmaland.com/2009/09/bklnsunset-park-tacos-matamoro/ http://salmaland.com/2009/09/bklnsunset-park-tacos-matamoro/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:36:51 +0000 http://salmaland.com/wp/?p=669 TacosMTacos Matamoros in Sunset Park is about as atmospheric as the south Texas border town it's named after: Not very. But with tacos this good (at $1.25 each; $2.25 for the large size), you're not going to gripe about the ho-hum vibe. Take some tacos to go and walk a few [...]]]> TacosMTacos Matamoros in Sunset Park is about as atmospheric as the south Texas border town it’s named after: Not very. But with tacos this good (at $1.25 each; $2.25 for the large size), you’re not going to gripe about the ho-hum vibe. Take some tacos to go and walk a few blocks up the hill to Sunset Park, where you can sit on a bench and eat while staring at a spectacular, underrated view of Manhattan, the East River, and the Statue. But if there’s a big soccer game on—let’s say one where the U.S. is, bizarrely, destroying Spain—you’ll want to be firmly nestled into a seat here, double-fisting carnitas (spicy pork) and lengua (tongue) tacos. Or settle in with one of the heftier dishes: From tortas stuffed with chorizo and eggs to heaping plates of mole poblano.

Tacos Matamoros. 45-08 Fifth Ave., Sunset Park; (718) 871-7627.

Prices/Features: CHP, GRP     (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)

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